Year Two of the Clay Helton Era commenced Saturday as the Georgia Southern football team kicked off its 15-practice spring session at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. Here are a few takeaways from the first day on the field.
Who's Behind Center
Kyle Vantrease came to Statesboro and set just about every passing record on the book. He is now off to pursue a professional career, which leaves the door open for a new crop of signal callers to leave their mark. While there are several quarterbacks returning such as Connor Cigelske, Colton FitzGerald, David Dallas and Kyle Toole, Georgia Southern also welcomed three transfers to the program in Davis Brin (Tulsa), JC French (Memphis) and Beau Allen (Tarleton State). Davis and French took a lion's share of the snaps with the top two offensive squads, but Helton was quick to point out that it is only day one and the Eagles still have 39 practices to determine a two-deep before the opener on Sept. 2 against The Citadel.
Quick Turnaround
Helton and his staff had to make a quick move to fill the defensive coordinator position when Will Harris took a job in the NFL. Helton did his due diligence before hiring Brandon Bailey from Buffalo and announcing him last week. Practice was backed up four days to allow Bailey to install his defense. Helton told the media after practice that Bailey will continue to run a 4-2-5 defense like Eagle Nation saw last year, but the terminology will be different for the players and coaches. He said he didn't expect everything to be perfect on the first day, and the offense in year two is ahead of the defense, but he expects improvement every day.
Speed Kills
One thing that was evident on Saturday was the amount of speed at the skill positions on offense, particularly at receiver. While the Eagles had a sold corps of pass catchers last year, coach Bryan Ellis has added speed and depth. Newcomers like Anthony Queeley, Jaylon Barden and true freshman DeAndre Buchanan all turned heads with their play on day one and several returners who played sparingly last year like Marcus Sanders Jr., Joshua Thompson and Dalen Cobb looked like seasoned veterans. With the old guard of Khaleb Hood, Derwin Burgess Jr. and Jjay Mcafee leading the way, quality depth should not be an issue this fall.
New Faces, New Places
Several new faces to the Georgia Southern squad took advantage of the NCAA's new one-time transfer year to come play in Statesboro and took to the field Saturday for the first time. They were: Beau Allen (QB, Tarleton State), Jaylon Barden (WR, Pitt), Davis Brin (QB, Tulsa), Bryson Broadway (OL, Georgia State), Chris Crouch (LB, Warner), Davon Ferguson (DB, Bowling Green), Brendan Franke (K, Nebraska), JC French (QB, Memphis), Davon Gilmore (LB, Wingate), Damel Hickman (DB, East Carolina), Tarian Lee Jr. (LB, Texas A&M), Saan Lewis (WR, Kentucky), Anthony Queeley (WR, Syracuse), TJ Smith (DB, Kansas State), Collin Springer (LS, Wofford), Keaton Upshaw (TE, Kentucky) and Cam Williams (DB, Washington). Two other players came in from junior colleges and saw their first action as Eagles Tuesday. They were C.K. Carter (OL, Garden City CC) and Jacob Ferguson (DL, Iowa Western CC).
The Same Goes For Coaches
The NCAA allows 10 on-field assistant coaches and four graduate assistants for football. Nine of the 14 coaches on the field Saturday were there for the first time. BJ Johnson, Taylor Reed and TJ Woods were out there for the offense for the first time while on the defense, Brandon Bailey and Darius Eubanks had their first practice. Additionally, GAs Anthony Gore Jr., Caleb Moore, Keenan Murphy and Jalen Pearson had their first practices.
One More Time
Seven Eagles took advantage of the NCAA's COVID-19 eligibility waiver and returned for an extra year of action: Khalil Crowder, Jon Ferguson, Khaleb Hood, Khadry Jackson, Jjay Mcafee, Brian Miller and Mari Wingard. Transferring in and taking advantage of the extra year were: Davis Brin, Davon Ferguson, Damel Hickman, Saan Lewis, Anthony Queeley and Collin Springer.
Mid-Year Enrollees
Three freshmen took to the field for their first time as Eagles on Saturday after joining the program in January. Those players are: DeAndre Buchanan, Branden Palmer and Alex Smith.
Georgia Southern Roots
Numerous coaches and staff members on the field on Saturday have deep roots to Statesboro as graduates of Georgia Southern. From the coaching staff, Brandon Bailey, Darius Eubanks, BJ Johnson and Kevin Whitley all went to Southern with the latter three playing for the Blue and White. Additionally, staff members Adrian Peterson, Jarae Thurmond and Matt Wise also attended Southern.
The Eagles will return to the field on Monday for the second practice of the spring season. The Spring Game, presented by Morris Bank, Southern Exchange and Savannah Airport, will be on April 22 at noon.
Below is the full schedule for the remaining of camp, subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen factors:
Week 2
Mon., March 27; 4:30 PM
Tues., March 28; 9:30 AM
Thurs., March 30; 9:30 AM
Sat., April 1; 11 AM
Week 3
Mon., April 3; 4:30 PM
Tues., April 4; 9:30 AM
Thurs., April 6; 9:30 AM
Sat., April 8; 11 AM
Week 4
Tues., April 11; 9:30 AM
Thurs., April 13; 9:30 AM
Sat., April 5; 11 AM
Week 5
Tues., April 18; 9:30 AM
Thurs., April 20; 9:30 AM
Sat., April 22; 12 PM; Paulson - SPRING GAME PRESENTED BY MORRIS BANK, SOUTHERN EXCHANGE AND SAVANNAH AIRPORT; ESPN+
While practices are open to the public and media, we ask you help us keep a competitive advantage by not posting videos and detailed information (including injuries) from practice on social media.
